Treatment of Benign Diseases with Megavoltage X-ray Beams: Is there a Risk for Gonadal Damage?

Radiation therapy of benign diseases always resulted in gonadal doses below 1 Gy and therefore there was no risk for permanent gonadal failure. The excess risk of radiation-induced hereditary disorders in offspring was low in comparison with the natural frequency of these effects. However, there was a considerable excess in risk after irradiation in the hip bone.